Covid Variants An Increasing Risk For Unvaccinated, Says Surgeon General

CNN: Surgeon General Warns Unvaccinated People Are At Risk From A Potentially More Dangerous Covid-19 Variant
As a renewed sense of optimism sweeps the US this summer with lower reported Covid-19 cases, the US Surgeon General has issued a warning for those not vaccinated: don't let your guard down quite yet. "For those who are unvaccinated, they are increasingly at risk as more and more variants develop," Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told CNN's Chris Cuomo on Wednesday, specifically citing the B.1.617.2, or Delta variant, first identified in India. (Caldwell, 6/10)

Axios: Fauci Urges Vaccinations As COVID-19 Variant Surges In U.K. 
Anthony Fauci urged Americans Wednesday to get vaccinated to halt the spread of the highly transmissible COVID-19 variant first discovered in India, which currently accounts for 6% of infections in the U.S. The United Kingdom has seen an explosion in new cases as a result of the variant, which is now the dominant strain and may be associated with increased disease severity. (Doherty, 6/9)

Stat: More Transmissible Variant Makes Vaccinations More Crucial, Experts Say
It’s getting even riskier to remain unvaccinated. The United States, as a whole, is still in good shape for the summer of reunions and revived activities. But for those who haven’t been immunized against Covid-19, there is a new concern: the emergence of yet another coronavirus variant, one with a nasty combination of features that makes it even more dangerous than the other strains that have caused global alarms. (Joseph, 6/10)

11alive.com: Delta COVID-19 Variant Found In India, Now In Georgia 
Fewer than 20 known cases of a COVID-19 variant first discovered in India have been detected across Georgia, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Public Health announced Wednesday. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Delta variant B.1.617.2 is classified as a variant of interest. "It's more contagious, probably about 40-50% more likely to spread from one person to the next," Director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. Francis Collins said. "It particularly can affect younger people. And it looks like it also may be more dangerous when it comes to the severity of the disease." (Ross and Brown, 6/9)

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Hospitals' Virus Cases On Rise
The number of people hospitalized in Arkansas with covid-19 rose Wednesday by double digits for the second day in a row, a development that state health officials said could be the result of infections among unvaccinated people over Memorial Day weekend. The state's count of cases rose by 201 while its death toll from the virus, as tracked by the Department of Health, rose by two, to 5,854. "Today's report shows similar case numbers compared to last week but shows an increase in hospitalizations," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a tweet. "While active cases are declining, this rise in hospitalizations is a reminder of caution and a reason to get vaccinated against COVID-19." (Davis, 6/10)

Houston Chronicle: More Kids Are Being Hospitalized For COVID, Due To Fewer Masks, Stagnating Vaccination Rates
Though young people can now receive shots, the number of children and adolescents being hospitalized is increasing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data from the first half of 2021 that shows nearly one-third of adolescents who are hospitalized with COVID-19 require intensive care. Five percent of those patients need to be put on ventilators with supplemental oxygen, as well. The CDC reports that nearly 400 children and adolescents are currently in hospitals across the country with COVID or complications from the virus. More than 16,000 under the age of 18 have been hospitalized from COVID since the start of the pandemic, and more than 300 of them have died from it, said Dr. Jim Versalovic, interim pediatrician-in-chief at Texas Children’s Hospital. (Garcia, 6/9)

In other news about the spread of the coronavirus —

The Wall Street Journal: Reduced U.S. Covid-19 Data Reporting Worries Some Health Experts 
A growing number of states are slowing the pace of their reports on key pandemic data, including cases, deaths and hospitalizations, concerning some epidemiologists and researchers, who say such moves may be too soon given how crucial data is for spotting outbreaks. They worry lagging data will leave public-health leaders with blind spots as new variants of the coronavirus circulate and many parts of the world battle rising cases. (Ansari, 6/9)

Stat: As Long Covid Affects More Kids, Doctors Can't Predict Who Is At Risk
At 14 years old, Kate Dardis knows what pain feels like and how to work through it. An accomplished gymnast accustomed to training four hours a day, she has met a competitor this year that she can’t beat with exercise or sheer willpower — yet. Rarely sick before a stomachache kept her home from school for three days in October, the Bloomington, Ill., eighth-grader was hit by a headache in January that still hasn’t loosened its grip. Her heart races. Her body aches. She gets winded climbing stairs and feels dizzy when she changes position. Concentrating on schoolwork is difficult remotely and exhausting in person. (Cooney, 6/10)

Dallas Morning News: Texans On Unemployment Can No Longer Turn Down Jobs Over COVID-19 Risk
Texans receiving unemployment pay will no longer be able to turn down job offers over fears of being at risk for contracting COVID-19. The Texas Workforce Commission on Wednesday rescinded a pandemic practice that gave unemployed workers the ability to refuse job offers on medical grounds. COVID-19 case counts are declining across Texas, and vaccinations are now readily available. Alongside the risk of contraction, quarantines, diagnosis of COVID-19 and child care were among other reasons Texans could decline an offer under guidance issued in April 2020 by Gov. Greg Abbott. (Skores, 6/9)